


The Most Unusual Places

by DementedFlorist



Category: Houshin Engi, 覇穹 封神演義 | Hakyuu Houshin Engi (Anime)
Genre: Gen, Mafia AU, Mild Blood, Minor Violence, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 14:41:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14718035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DementedFlorist/pseuds/DementedFlorist
Summary: After working for so many years as a hit-man for hire, Youzen finds himself in the hands of a very ridiculous mafia family.





	The Most Unusual Places

**Author's Note:**

> After months of working (procrastinating) on this fic, I finally finished the first chapter! I pray to the anime gods that I can find the motivation to continue....

The air had a pungent smell of gunpowder and butchery. Several bodies either laid or were propped up awkwardly by the items the resided in the deep alleyway. They were covered in blood, some pouring from bullet holes, others splattered from precise but brutal knife wounds. Some would dedicate the time to learn and master one art of...carnage, but Youzen liked to leave himself with multiple options; in this line of work one wrong move could cost you your life, as made point by the lifeless bodies that surrounded his feet.

Youzen considered himself a solo act, and carried himself like one. He was never bound by swearing loyalty to one single family but instead offered his services (with a hefty price) for a single or a certain set of jobs. 

It was a nice set up for him.

Yet he sighed. He placed his hand pistol in the rim of his pants behind his back and wiped his rampuri knife of any remaining blood and flesh that had stuck like a rancid stain. Youzen had discarded his trench coat somewhere here in the alleyway before the confrontation began (he didn’t want to get blood on it), so he made his way back down the moonlit path to retrieve his coat and make his way towards his appointment.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You look upset.” Gyukutei noted, watching his protégé, who was sitting across from him pout in annoyance.

“Even now I don’t understand your urging to have me join a family, especially a potential rival one.” Youzen huffed, folding his arms in the process. “I’m perfectly fine where I am now.”

Gyukutei shrugged. “I know just how capable you are, but I worry.”

“It’s part of the job.”

“Yes,” Gyukutei continued not unkindly, “But I worry nonetheless. I know you’re doing well as a hitman for hire, but there is no security in that. There is no protection.”

“I can protect myself!” Youzen exclaimed, slightly offended.

A soft chuckle escaped Gyukutei’s lips. “That stubbornness of yours still hasn’t changed a bit, Youzen.”

“I am also not a child,” argued Youzen, and then he said in a calmer tone, “Though I do appreciate your sentiment, Master.”

Gyukutei nodded, keeping quiet to end the conversation. The meeting would commence soon, and he didn’t want to fluster Youzen with nostalgia before meeting his prospective boss. His own boss, Genshitenson, had recommended this person for Gyukutei to introduce Youzen to with his concerns in mind. Though when he pressed Genshitenson for more information all he got was a nervous reassurance that the person was of capable standing.

The sound of the door opening drew Gyukutei out of his thoughts. A young man, one who barely entered adulthood, stood in the doorway with a bright smile. The man’s suit was old and a little big on his build but oddly enough, looked as if it fitted him just right. It reassured Gyukutei that if someone like this was working for Youzen’s soon-to-be boss, that he could trust in his boss’ good faith.

Youzen, however, quietly snorted at how low the man’s guard was.

“The boss is ready to see you now, Mr. Youzen!” the young man said with enthusiasm.

“Just Youzen will do.” said the begrudged Youzen, as he stood up from his seat. 

Gyukutei stood up as well and gave Youzen a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Good luck in there, and play nice.” Youzen gave his master a slight disgruntled look. It was short lived, however, and he readily returned the shoulder pat; no amount of disagreement would change his feelings towards the man who raised him. 

The young man happily gestured for Youzen to follow him through the door and shut it behind him after they both had walked through the doorway. He led Youzen down a simplistically decorated hallway, something that slightly surprised him. Usually mafia boss’ decorate with extravagance in places like this, where a person was to get a taste of the family’s power and influence before meeting them in person. It was a popular intimidation tactic.

However all the decorations were simple vases (some with flowers resting in them), and a few paintings here and there; even the wallpaper was a simple off-white color with yellow trim. Bukichi (Youzen was finally given his name right before being escorted off), when asked, had told Youzen that his boss was never a fan of fancy knick-knacks and the like.

“I’ve never heard of a boss who doesn’t splurge in fancy decor.” Youzen said.

“Well, boss isn’t a very materialistic man,” laughed Bukichi, “Except when it comes to clothing. He’s very particular about that.” 

Ah, the second form of intimidation.

Bukichi stopped in front of a pair of double doors and knocked twice. They waited for a few seconds before the door swayed open. Not even a passcode for some sort of security? These people seem like amateurs, Youzen couldn’t help but think. Despite his slow decline in respectable opinion he followed Bukichi to meet his potential boss.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Youzen was blinded; not by any light, but by the pure brightness of the boss’ canary yellow suit. It was borderline painful. It took all of his power not to full-on squint. Youzen felt slightly mortified. 

However, the man sitting behind a large desk kept smiling. Whether he knew of Youzen’s reaction or not was unclear, but he was amused by something. He motioned for Youzen to take a seat across from him, and Youzen obliged. Once his eyes adjusted, Youzen also spotted a yellow long-brimmed hat on the coat rack sitting just behind the boss.

Dear Lord, his clothing ensemble was on purpose, he thought to himself.

The man behind the awkwardly large office desk leaned back into his leather seat, which was cracking and wrinkling with wear; it gave a little squeak. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you Youzen,” said the boss with a light chuckle in his voice, “I’ve heard good things about you. My name is Taikoubou, and I’m the leader of the Houshin gang.” Youzen bowed his head respectfully between the beats of Taikoubou’s speech.

“My old master Genshitenson speaks with great vigor about you…” Taikoubou then sighed wistfully, “it must BE NICE!!”

The sudden outburst jolted Youzen out of his seat a bit, his hand quietly resting on the knife in his pocket (he snuck in a small switchblade, just in case). Taikoubou slumped back in his chair with a distraught look. “That old fart always has some complaint armed in his vocabulary arsenal, always looking for something to nag about. What even was the last thing he complained about?”

“I think it was about using gang resources to fulfill your unhealthy peach obsession, boss.” chimed Bukichi, rather proud that he had remembered the exact details of that conversation.

Taikoubou clicked his tongue. “What does that old fart understand about peaches, huh!? They’re delicious, man! The perfect snack, the ultimate food!!!” 

Youzen sat in his chair as he watched a man in charge of a criminal organization get physically animated over peaches. He then began to think back through his entire life to understand how in the hell he got to this point; until Taikoubou smacked his hand on the desk and pulled him out of his thoughts.

“This is where you come in, Genius Youzen. Taking you under my wing will definitely smooth things out between Genshitenson and myself, and he’ll get off my case about the peaches.”

“And all the other things too, boss!”

Taikoubou pointed approvingly towards Bukichi. “Yes, and all the other things too. So, do we have a deal?” 

Youzen immediately wanted to tell this man that he was an idiot, and to stop wasting his time. But the longer he looked, searched, in Taikoubou’s eyes he could see a much more innocent and less conniving motivation behind them. Much like his outfit, Taikoubou exuded a bright aura; it hurts at first, but after a time it starts to feel pleasant. Youzen had never met such a man in his life. He piqued his interest.

“And what, pray tell, do I get in return for my allegiance to you?”

Taikoubou raised an eyebrow at the question. “You sure see everything as business, don’t you. Well for one, you’d be joining my family, which is awesome. Second, any tie to me means a tie to Genshitenson, which can guarantee more protection for you. And third, your skill set is worth way more than just simple hit jobs.”

“That last one was just stated fact.”

“I’m not finished,” said Taikoubou as he wagged his finger. “While your talents as an assassin is second-to-none, I believe that you’re doing a disservice by limiting yourself like that; as does Gyukutei.”

Youzen bristled. “What does my master have to do with this?”

“Not much, just the fact that, well, I hear that he’s very concerned for you. As is Genshitenson, to an extent. They both feel that you’re worth more as a person than just a killer that lives in the shadows. I don’t really know you that well, but I know that’s no way for a person to live either, so I’m taking you in for a specific job.”

Still a little shaken by the mention of Gyukutei, Youzen asked his simple question. “And what job is that?”

Taikoubou spread both his arms and his smile wide. “You’d be hired as my personal bodyguard!”

Youzen blinked. “A what?”

Taikoubou snorted, “Y’know, a bodyguard. Someone who guards a body--well, a living body which happens to be me.”

No matter how many times he blinked, the smug but slightly playful grin on Taikoubou’s face would not falter. Youzen had never imagined that he would have a specific job set up for him, no less as a bodyguard. He figured he’d have to work his way from the ground up, just like everyone else. That’s how it worked in every gang, right? But, this man was offering a personal job to someone as impersonal as Youzen. To entrust his life to him. How can Taikoubou trust a man he just met?

Youzen couldn’t keep himself from asking the question, “Why choose someone you’ve never met to be in charge of your personal well being? Isn’t that just ludicrous?”

Taikoubou’s eyes crinkled even more as he answered Youzen’s question. “It’s simple, really. I trust Gyukutei, and I trust Genshitenson. Their faith in you gives you worthy credentials for the job, simple as that.”

“You’re hiring me based on faith?”

“That, and the fact that your crazy hit record is impressive.”

A pit feeling began to rise in Youzen’s stomach, one that told him the minute he walked through those double-doors he was not going to leave without being this man’s personal bodyguard. He was a doomed man from the start. It was a smart move to mention his master, seeing as how any refusal on Youzen’s part would reflect poorly on Gyukutei. Youzen couldn’t believe that the same man making a fuss about peaches had backed him into a professional corner.

“So I’ll ask you again, Genius Youzen, do we have a deal?”

With a pause to mask his resignation to his fate, Youzen took Taikoubou’s outstretched hand and shook it.

“We have a deal.”


End file.
